So It Goes was a British TV music show presented by Tony Wilson on Granada Television between 1976 and 1977. It is most famous for showcasing the then burgeoning punk rock movement. It was named partially in reference to Kurt Vonnegut's 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five.
The show's first series, produced by Chris Pye, gave the Sex Pistols their first ever TV appearance, and featured performances by Patti Smith. It also included occasional non-punk guests such as journalist Clive James and comedian Peter Cook (hosting a 'Riff of the Month' competition). The second series, produced by Geoff Moore, featured performances by the Jam, the Clash, Buzzcocks, The Stranglers, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. An expletive-strewn appearance by Iggy Pop proved too much for Granada bosses, leading to the cancellation of a third series.
Episode guide The first series consisted of nine editions that ran from 3 July – 21 August 1976. This was followed over a year later by the second series, consisting of ten editions running from 9 October – 11 December 1977. 1 The series was only ever shown in three ITV regions including Granada (the other 2 regions were ATV and LWT).
Series 1 Show 1 Broadcast 3 July 1976 Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James Director: Peter Walker Producer: Chris Pye
The 'Opportunity Rocks' spot featured the Jeff Raven Band, seen performing "I Just Can't Get Next To You" live in concert. Traditional Irish music group The Chieftains were live in the studio performing "Mná na hÉireann" and "Traditional Song". Peter Blake and his wife, Jann Howarth, discussed the design of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, as well as how the original idea was conceived and produced.
In a spoof "Where Are They Now?" feature, So It Goes visited Stephen Hawes, a university lecturer in French, to find out he is still a university lecturer in French, and Tom Waits was live in the studio performing 'Better Off Without A Wife'. After a spoof ad break (featuring old black and white adverts for "Top Brass" shampoo and "All" washing powder), Clive James impersonated Henry Kissinger in Brain Damage.
The "As Time Goes By" feature looked back at Sister Rosetta Tharpe performing 'I Gotta Blues but I Too Damn Mean to Cry' at Chorlton-cum-Hardy railway station in 1964 (assumed to be originally from Granada Television's Blues and Gospel Train special). The album of the week in 'Pressed to Kill' was from the Mike Westbrook Orchestra. Closing the show were The Sutherland Bros and Quiver live in the studio performing 'When the Train Comes'.
Show 2 Broadcast 10 July 1976 Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James Director: Peter Walker Producer: Chris Pye
Live in the studio, Kevin Ayers performed 'Ballad of Mr Snake'. The featured album in 'Pressed to Kill' was 'Rock and Roll Music' by The Beatles. Clive James talked about the 'Brain Damage' caused by Rod Stewart. 'Opportunity Rocks' for Bettina Jonic who was live in the studio performing Bob Dylan's 'Like a Rolling Stone'. Tony Wilson interviewed Roger Dean to find out about his inspiration for creating album cover designs. In 'As Time Goes By' there was a 1967 performance of 'On a Carousel' by The Hollies (taken from 'The World Tomorrow: Sound or Music?'). Back in the studio, 'Frankie Miller's Full House' closed the show performing the 'Doodle Song'.
Show 3 Broadcast 17 July 1976 Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James Director: Peter Walker Producer: Chris Pye
The Noel Redding Band were live in the studio performing 'Back on the Road Again'. The design feature was on denim art and Clive James got 'Brain Damage' from the talent in the BBC light entertainment department, Cilla Black and Lulu. Rogue were featured in 'Opportunity Rocks'. In the studio, The London Saxophone Quartet performed the 'Agincourt Song'. Marianne Faithfull sang 'Yesterday' in 'As Time Goes By' (taken from The Music of Lennon and McCartney). The programme's favourite French lecturer was caught outside Dingwalls, and Eddie and the Hot Rods closed the show with a live studio performance of 'Woolly Bully'
Show 4 Broadcast 24 July 1976 Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James Director: Peter Walker Producer: Chris Pye
Mr Pugh’s Velvet Glove Show with Ted Milton appeared in the studio. Also featured were Mott the Hoople, who performed 'Shouting and Pointing'. Lou Reed's 'Coney Island Baby' album was 'Pressed to Kill', and Tony Wilson interviewed the wrong Mark Phillips. Stephan Micus was live in the studio performing music he had composed himself on the Afghan rubabs. Tony Wilson went to CBS Records in London to see the design department, and 'As Time Goes By' featured Peter Sellers performing 'A Hard Day's Night' (taken from The Music of Lennon and McCartney). In 'Brain Damage', Clive James discussed Sarah Miles and Kris Kristofferson, and 'The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea'. Closing the show, Graham Parker and The Rumour were in the studio to perform 'Soul Shoes'.
Show 5 Broadcast 31 July 1976 Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James Director: Peter Walker Producer: Chris Pye
Tony Wilson went on location to ask Patti Smith why she re-makes old classics. Snooky Pryor performed 'What Have I Got to Do' in the studio, backed by the Victor Brox Blues Train. 'Pressed to Kill' looked at 'Shakti' by John McLaughlin. In 'Brain Damage', Clive James discussed Page 3 girls, and singer/songwriter Ross Macfarlane (winner of that year's Melody Maker Rock/Folk Competition) was the star of 'Opportunity Rocks'. Macfarlane performed live in the studio, singing the self-penned song, 'Reflections'. 'As Time Goes By' featured The Doors (taken from 'The Doors Are Open'). Steve Hawes, So It Goes''' favourite French lecturer was in the studio. The John Miles Band were in the studio to perform 'House on the Hill', and Patti Smith explained exactly why she plays rock music.
Show 6 Broadcast 7 August 1976 Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James Director: Peter Walker Producer: Chris Pye
Introduction by Adam West (Batman). Be-Bop Deluxe were live in the studio performing 'Sister Seagull'. Tony Wilson discussed protest songs and played Víctor Jara's 1974 protest song about the Chilean dissenters imprisoned in a football ground in Santiago. 'As Time Goes By' featured the Animals performing 'Twist and Shout' (taken from studio footage before the recording of Whole Lotta Shakin' in 1964). Alan Stivell was in the studio performing 'Jenovefa'. In the design feature, Tony Wilson went to the Hipgnosis studio in Soho to discuss how they create album covers. Clive James talked about the increasing TV coverage of 'lost' tribes in 'Brain Damage'. Closing the show, Soft Machine were in the studio, performing 'The Tale of Taliesin'.
Show 7 Broadcast 14 August 1976 Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James Director: Peter Walker Producer: Chris Pye
Eddie "Guitar" Burns was live in the studio performing "Bottle Up and Go". Clive James appeared throughout the show as Demis Roussos. Tony Wilson looked at AC/DC in the Opportunity Rocks spot – there was a clip of the band performing "Jailbreak" – and looked at Andy Pratt's latest album, Resolution. A Band Called O were in the studio singing "Don'tcha Wanna", and Gene Vincent sang "Be-Bop-A-Lula" in the feature As Time Goes By (taken from Whole Lotta Shakin, 1964). Also in the studio were Kate & Anna McGarrigle, who performed two songs from their eponymous album; "Complainte Pour Ste-Catherine" and "Talk To Me of Mendocino". Patti Smith got the final word as So It Goes went on location to hear her plans for a rock opera.
Show 8 Broadcast 21 August 1976 Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James Director: Peter Walker Producer: Chris Pye
Tony Wilson and Clive James presented the show: live studio performances by Matumbi performing 'A Woman Like You' and Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias performing "Old Trust" were featured. A clip of Simon & Garfunkel was shown and Tony Wilson went behind the scenes of Kiss's first British concert (at the Free Trade Hall on 13 May 1976). A botched interview with Zero, the Special Effects Co-ordinator for Kiss, was shown, as was an interview with the band themselves (intercut with concert footage).
Show 9 Broadcast 28 August 1976 Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James Director: Peter Walker Producer: Chris Pye
Featured live studio performances by Gentlemen singing 'My Ego's Killing Me' and the Bowles Brothers Band performing 'Charlie's Nuts'. Peter Cook introduced the 'Riff of the Month' competition. Albums of the Week included the Ramones' debut album and Southside Johnny. In 'Brain Damage', Clive James attacked the music reviews of Charles Shaar Murray. There was a nostalgic look back at Jerry Lee Lewis (taken from 'Whole Lotta Shakin' in 1964) in the 'As Time Goes By' section. Back in the studio, Clive James interviewed Peter Cook (possessed by his alter-ego 'Clive'). The last studio band, the Sex Pistols, performed 'Anarchy in the U.K.'. The show closed with location footage of the Dr. Hook band getting into a taxi.
Three months after this episode was broadcast, Clive James wrote about his appearance on it in The Observer, and in particular expressed disapproval of the Sex Pistols, referring to Johnny Rotten as "a foul-mouthed ball of acne calling himself something like Kenny Frightful".Odds and Sods 2
Series 2 Show 1 Broadcast 9 October 1977 Presented by Tony Wilson Studio Director: Eric Harrison Producer: Geoff Moore
A recorded performance of Van Morrison singing 'Venice USA'. There is an archive clip of The Rubinoos singing Tommy James & the Shondells' classic I Think We're Alone Now (source unknown). John Cooper Clarke is interviewed in the studio by Tony, featuring clips of John reading poetry in clubs around Manchester. There is archive clip of a Paul McCartney interview (source unknown), following by a recorded performance of Buzzcocks singing 'What Do I Get?' at The Electric Circus, Manchester. There is a short teaser clip of Sad Café performing 'Love will survive' at Rafters and we're back to Maunkberry's to hear Van Morrison performing 'Kansas City'. During the end credits, Elvis Costello performs 'Mystery Dance' at Eric's, Liverpool.
Show 2 Broadcast 16 October 1977 Presented by Tony Wilson Japanese Voice-Over: Misako Koba Studio Director: Eric Harrison Producer: Geoff Moore
We see clips of Elvis Costello performing 'Alison' (short excerpt from the Granada Reports "What's On" appearance 21 July 1977) and at Eric's singing '(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea'. Ron Haffkine from Dr Hook gives his opinion on 'How to Cope with Superstars'. Appearing live in the studio, John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett perform 'Beware of The Flowers'. Recommended album of the week is a band from Japan, so we see a clip of The Girls singing a cover of 'Honky Tonk Woman'. We're back to Eric's to see Elvis Costello perform "Watching the Detectives" and then on to the Electric Circus to see Penetration perform 'Don't Dictate': then back to Eric's again for one last song, 'Lip Service', sung by Elvis Costello.
Show 3 Broadcast 23 October 1977 Presented by Tony Wilson Studio Director: Eric Harrison Producer: Geoff Moore
Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias singing 'Teenage Paradise' at Rafters, Manchester. There is a short interview on VT with Ian Dury followed by 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll' (nature VT to accompany the song featuring camels). There's comedy from a couple of 'roadies' –- Arthur Kelly and Gorden Kaye, followed by clips from an Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias' rock opera as they perform 'Snuffin' in a Babylon' and Gobbin' on Life. We go to Liverpool's Eric's club to see Nick Lowe performing 'Endless Sleep' and 'Shake and Pop'. The show ends back at Rafters with Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias performing 'Death of Rock and Roll'.
Show 4 Broadcast 30 October 1977 Presented by Tony Wilson Studio Director: Eric Harrison